This paper focusses on the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner, from a Community Development perspective.  It utilises data resources currently available to identify the context of the neighbourhood, which allows for an understanding of who the residents of Fawkner are.  Deficits and needs of the community will be identified and assessed against existing services, to determine if its social capital building framework is having a positive effect on the community.

Fawkner is located to the north of Melbourne, within the local government area of the City of Moreland.  It has the highest level of disadvantage in the City of Moreland with its Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA) score at 915.6, compared with Gowanbrae with the lowest level of disadvantage, at 1,073.8.  Fawkner was estimated to have a population of 14,460 in 2016 with a population density of 30.12 people per hectare.  In the same year 6,504 Fawkner residents were not born in Australia, and 63.2% of its residents spoke a language other than English at home.  The top five other languages were Italian, Urdu, Arabic, Greek and Bengali, with a total of 38 other languages recorded. Of those that spoke a language other than English at home, 1,604 had reported difficulty in speaking English.  Of the 20 different religions recorded in the area, Western (Roman) Catholic was the largest with 4,470 followers, followed very closely by Islam with 4,406 followers.  Of those residents aged 15 and over, 43.8% were unemployed in 2016 (idcommunity: Fawkner, n.d.).

The statistics tell us that Fawkner is a socially disadvantaged, multicultural community comprised of residents who speak almost 40 different languages other than English at home, unemployment is high and employment opportunities are low.  With data indicating that Muslims, visible Muslims in particular, feeling more socially connected to community, and less apprehensive about discrimination in settings that have a high Muslim residential concentration (Colic-Peisker & Dekker 2016, p.4), it is not surprising that just over 30% of Fawkner’s population follow Islam.  Fawkner locals are largely reliant on private transport due to its relative isolation and inadequate servicing by public transport (Colic-Peisker et al. 2013, p.2), placing the costly burden of owning a vehicle onto an already financially fragile community.

Despite this, Fawkner residents have voiced that they like the close-knit community for its ‘small-town feel’, they like its peace and quiet and low crime rates.  The multiculturalism makes new immigrants feel at home, and the infrastructure and services that have been put into place, are seen as having provided a positive contribution to the community.   When asked about any desired changes in Fawkner, survey respondents identified such things as better public transport, more affordable housing and increased job opportunities.  However, the largest component of these responses revolved around enhancing the sense of community by improvement in community facilities, utilisation of unused spaces and shops, better bars, cafes, shops and restaurants, as well as more opportunities for different cultures to mix (Merri Health, 2018, p. 16).

Fawkner has not been left totally off the radar when it comes to infrastructure and services.  It has a central hub that comprises a leisure centre, Merri Health, library, soccer club, playground, Community House, Mosque, Co-education Islamic school, sport and education facility, College, and green community spaces (Google maps, n.d.).  In response to the needs of its diverse community, many social building programs have been put into action, from online newsletters to Women’s Groups and children’s programs.  Each implemented program has resulted from identifying community needs and supporting community leaders to act and improve social cohesion through a targeted place-based approach.  The Count Me in program focusses on sports participation for young refugees and people of migrant backgrounds, Ready Set Prep is a collective approach involving family engagement that assists with the transition to school and engages five local primary schools, as well as local kindergartens, playgroups and other local services providing early years services.  The Urdu Women’s Group gathers at the Fawkner Community House weekly and is a friendly group for women newly arrived in Melbourne that allows them to connect with local services and each other (Merri Health, 2018, pp. 4-5).  There are numerous other programs and services on offer in Fawkner, all designed to promote inclusion and build social capital.

The socially conscious contributors of Fawkner know their demographic and cohort well.  There are countless reports and statistics available to identify marginalised groups and the needs of the community.  One such insufficiency identified through a needs assessment conducted in 2015, was the lack of availability of affordable fresh fruit, vegetables and produce to the local community.  The high price of fresh produce and lack of transport to attend sporadically placed stores, left 12% of Fawkner residents unable to purchase more food when needed.  This in turn had the local food emergency centres working at capacity, and only able to operate weekly due to lack of sufficient funding.  Modelled on Community Grocer Carlton, major stakeholders entered a formal partnership, and the initial phase of the market commenced in November 2015 (Merri Health, 2018, pp. 18-21).  The market does more than provide a platform for the purchase of affordable healthy food for the people of Fawkner, it provides opportunities for volunteers to gain skills and supports community inclusion and increased social equity.  Due to COVID-19 the Fawkner market had to close, but this did not deter the faithful.  In partnership with Fawkner Commons, up to 40 boxes of fresh produce are prepared weekly, with pickup points located throughout the suburb and home delivery available (The Community Grocer, 2020), thus demonstrating to the community, that the commitment to them is strong.

In looking at the needs of the Fawkner community and the infrastructure and services already in place, two potential larger scale projects could be investigated.  In the Merri Health Report (2018), the community identified that they would like to see the utilisation of unused spaces and shops, better bars, cafes, shops and restaurants as well as more opportunities for different cultures to mix.  When you add in the unemployment statistics and lack of public transport, a feasibility study would be warranted for suitably experienced members of the community to be sponsored to open restaurants, cafes, and retail outlets in the empty shops.  This would assist in the creation of local, accessible jobs, as well as the creation of an urban street life that Fawkner is currently lacking.  With a carefully curated mix of new shops, this fresh vibe for Fawkner would deepen the coming together and shared experiences of different cultures and the community.  The second feasibility study could centre on the implementation of a Community Co-Op Supermarket for all of the same reasons as the new shops program, with the added incentive that the supermarket co-op would be owned and run by the community as a whole, not just a select few.  It could sell a diverse array of stock from around the globe, with a focus on the countries that the residents of Fawkner descend, thus further assisting in the welcoming and settling of new residents.

A tremendous amount of thoughtful and socially conscious resources have been put into Fawkner, yet there is always more that can be done.  The statistics tell the tale of a melting pot of multiculturalism, unemployment, disadvantage and low socio economics, yet the residents themselves tell a different tale. Theirs is a tale of a close-knit community, peace and quiet, low crime rates and a sense of ‘home’ and safety.  This alone evidences that the thoughtfully targeted and implemented services of Fawkner’s builders of social capital, are indeed producing a positive effect.

REFERENCES

Colic-Peisker, V & Robertson, S & Phipps, P & Svoboda, P 2013., Gentrification, immigration and community cohesion in Melbourne’s multicultural north, Globalism Research Centre, RMIT University, Melbourne, pp 1, [21 August 2021].

Colic-Peisker, V & Dekker, K 2016., Religious visibility, disadvantage and bridging social capital: a comparative investigation of multicultural localities in Melbourne’s north, Centre for Global Research, RMIT University, Melbourne [21 August 2021].

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